Harambee Stars players have travelled to Conakry, Guinea, ready for another test in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying campaign.
Kenya will play away on October 1, 2026 against Guinea, with coach Benni McCarthy’s side looking for a positive result after opening their campaign with a home draw against Eritrea.
Harambee Stars were forced to search for a late equaliser against Eritrea last Saturday at Nyayo National Stadium. Eritrea opened the scoring through Nahom Girmai Netabay in the 36th minute before Ryan Ogam came to Kenya’s rescue, scoring the equaliser in the 86th minute following good work from second-half substitute Ben Stanley Omondi.
Ryan Ogam was among the standout players in the match, ensuring Kenya did not leave the pitch empty-handed.
Ben Stanley Omondi also made a significant contribution after coming off the bench, playing a direct role in the equalising goal.
Coach McCarthy has also continued to back Manzur Okwaro despite the mistake that contributed to Eritrea’s goal, insisting that the defender remains an important part of his plans ahead of the Guinea clash.
Following the draw, McCarthy said one of the team’s biggest challenges was the short preparation time before the match. The coach said more training time would have helped the team improve its organisation, reduce mistakes and become more clinical in the final third.
McCarthy has also expressed confidence that Harambee Stars can perform better against Guinea, stressing that the team will need to be more careful and make better use of the chances it creates.
Guinea began their campaign with a 2-1 defeat to South Africa at Orlando Stadium in Soweto. South Africa’s winning goal was scored by Samukele Kabini, 13 minutes before the end of the match.
Guinea will therefore be under pressure to secure a win in front of their home supporters, while Harambee Stars will be looking for valuable points away from home.
Since Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are the hosts of AFCON 2027, Kenya has already secured its place in the finals. In Group D, the remaining qualification spot will go to the highest-finishing team among South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea.
All eyes are now on Conakry, where Harambee Stars will look to turn their Nyayo draw into a positive result away against Guinea’s Syli National.
